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The Library, Books 16-20: Philip II, Alexander the Great, and the Successors (Oxford World's Classics) Paperback – September 1, 2019

by Diodorus Siculus (Author), Robin Waterfield (Editor)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 64 ratings
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Starting with the most meagre resources, Philip made his kingdom the greatest power in Europe

The Greek historian Diodorus of Sicily is one of our most valuable sources from ancient times. His history, in forty volumes, was intended to range from mythological times to 60 BCE, and fifteen of The Library's forty books survive.

This new translation by Robin Waterfield of books 16-20 covers a vital period in European history. Book 16 is devoted to Philip, and without it the career of this great king would be far more obscure to us. Book 17 is the earliest surviving account by over a hundred years of the world-changing eastern conquests of Alexander the Great, Philip's son. Books 18-20 constitute virtually our sole source of information on the twenty turbulent years following Alexander's death and on the violent path followed by Agathocles of Syracuse. There are fascinating snippets of history from elsewhere too - from Republican Rome, the Cimmerian Bosporus, and elsewhere.

Despite his obvious importance, Diodorus is a neglected historian. This is the first English translation of any of these books in over fifty years. The introduction places Diodorus in his context in first-century-BCE Rome, describes and discusses the kind of history he was intending to write, and assesses his strengths and weaknesses as a historian. With extensive explanatory notes on this gripping and sensational period of history, the book serves as a unique resource for historians and students.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    624 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  4. Publication date
    September 1, 2019
  5. Dimensions
    7.7 x 1.2 x 5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0198759886
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0198759881
  8. See all details
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About the Author

Diodorus Siculus

Robin Waterfield is a writer, living in Greece. His previous translations for Oxford World's Classics include Plato's Republic and five other editions of Plato's dialogues, Aristotle's Physics, and The Art of Rhetoric, Herodotus' Histories, Polybius' Histories, Plutarch's Greek Lives and Roman Lives and Hellenistic Lives, Euripides' Orestes and Other Plays and Heracles and Other Plays, Xenophon's The Expedition of Cyrus, Demosthenes' ISelected Speeches and The First Philosophers: The PreSocratics and the Sophists. He is the author of Dividing the Spoils: The War for Alexander the Great's Empire (Oxford, 2011), Taken at the Flood (Oxford, 2014), and Creators, Conquerors, and Citizens (Oxford 2018).

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press (September 1, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 624 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0198759886
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0198759881
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.7 x 1.2 x 5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 64 ratings

About the author

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Robin Waterfield

Robin Waterfield

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Robin Anthony Herschel Waterfield (born 1952) is a British classical scholar, translator, editor, and writer of children's fiction. Waterfield was born in 1952, and studied Classics at Manchester University, where he achieved a first class degree in 1974. He went on to research ancient Greek philosophy at King's College, Cambridge until 1978, after which he became a lecturer at Newcastle University and then St Andrews University. He later became a copy-editor and later a commissioning editor for Penguin Books. He is now a self-employed writer, living in southern Greece, where he has Greek citizenship.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
64 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Nathan S
5.0 out of 5 stars Great translation and notes
Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2021
Verified Purchase
This is a great translation with very helpful notes. For ancient accounts of Philip of Macedon, Diodorus and the Epitome of Trogus are just about all we have. I am very thankful for these translations.

I just don't understand why Oxford insists on putting notes at the back of the book. It is unnecessarily cumbersome. Also, having read the Landmark series, it's such a shame that these translations are printed so cheaply, with inadequate maps, and no section summaries.
7 people found this helpful
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PJ Plato
3.0 out of 5 stars Great translation. Poor handling.
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2023
Verified Purchase
I wonder how these books are kept? I imagine a warehouse, full of shelves. But are not the books plastic sealed? Are they in sealed containers? 2/3 of the books I buy look great. The rest have bent covers or pages, some are even almost eaten away at the edges (like this one). Very odd! Please plastic seal each individual book and protect it until it is sold! Please! I buy many books! I would rather not go somewhere else. Thank you. I am grateful for your return process. Most of the books are fine. But some could be better.
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Top reviews from other countries

Joadka
5.0 out of 5 stars Purely for personal enjoyment.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 25, 2021
Verified Purchase
I bought these books as a Christmas gift to myself, purely for personal enjoyment. I do love history, especially ancient Roman, but I also admire Macedonian Alexander the Great (and his father Philip the second) who pretty much conquered the known world before Christ was born. I thought that reading a history written by Diodorus of Sicily, who was closer to the time period than most ancient biography writers, would lend it more authenticity. His writing having survived two thousand years is miraculous. A bit like the first hand accounts in the books of the bible written by the disciples of Jesus, even if that was with some later years perspective. Anyhow, thanks to Diodorus we know where and who Alexander was fighting. He was a real person living in extraordinary times.
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kenneth edwards
4.0 out of 5 stars Alexander fan
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 3, 2023
Verified Purchase
Nothing to say was what I expected, good work of reference
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